Biomimicry: Sewage Treatment and Natural Resources
Marc Treadwell
Environmental Science
Final Paper
Biomimicry
The environment is suffering. Population is rising. Our natural resources are being depleted. Global warming is no longer fiction; it is fact. With these environmental catastrophes in mind, it is obvious that something must be done in order to preserve life, as we know it. Biomimicry is a field that concentrates on working with the environment to make human practices more sustainable. Biomimicry examines nature’s models, systems, processes, and elements; then, it uses them to solve human problems and issues sustainably. A more basic definition of biomimicry would be that it simply uses nature as a guide to make human practices less harmful to the environment. A couple of examples of implementing biomimicry are the uses of non-toxic adhesives, inspired by geckos (energy efficient buildings inspired by termite mounds), and resistance-free antibiotics, inspired by red seaweed. Biomimicry is a term that derives from “bionics”. Bionics has the same basic principle of biomimicry; it uses nature as a guide. However, bionics does not include the sustainability focus of biomimicry. The principle of nature as a guide for action or development was around long before there was any need for sustainability. In the late 1400’s, Leonardo da Vinci used his own observations from nature to develop ideas for a flying machine. He studied and focused on birds, fascinated with how they were able to fly. During the 1900’s, Willem Kolff used studies from nature as a guide to developing the first kidney dialysis machine. By using nature as a starting point, Kolff was able to invent a machine that would save thousands of lives during his lifetime alone. Bausch & Lomb developed the world’s first soft contact lens with ideas generated from various observations of water magnification in nature. One of bionics’ most famous inventors was George de Mestral. He developed Velcro in response to
Environmental Science
Final Paper
Biomimicry
The environment is suffering. Population is rising. Our natural resources are being depleted. Global warming is no longer fiction; it is fact. With these environmental catastrophes in mind, it is obvious that something must be done in order to preserve life, as we know it. Biomimicry is a field that concentrates on working with the environment to make human practices more sustainable. Biomimicry examines nature’s models, systems, processes, and elements; then, it uses them to solve human problems and issues sustainably. A more basic definition of biomimicry would be that it simply uses nature as a guide to make human practices less harmful to the environment. A couple of examples of implementing biomimicry are the uses of non-toxic adhesives, inspired by geckos (energy efficient buildings inspired by termite mounds), and resistance-free antibiotics, inspired by red seaweed. Biomimicry is a term that derives from “bionics”. Bionics has the same basic principle of biomimicry; it uses nature as a guide. However, bionics does not include the sustainability focus of biomimicry. The principle of nature as a guide for action or development was around long before there was any need for sustainability. In the late 1400’s, Leonardo da Vinci used his own observations from nature to develop ideas for a flying machine. He studied and focused on birds, fascinated with how they were able to fly. During the 1900’s, Willem Kolff used studies from nature as a guide to developing the first kidney dialysis machine. By using nature as a starting point, Kolff was able to invent a machine that would save thousands of lives during his lifetime alone. Bausch & Lomb developed the world’s first soft contact lens with ideas generated from various observations of water magnification in nature. One of bionics’ most famous inventors was George de Mestral. He developed Velcro in response to
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